Clasp for garment supports



Aug. 23,, 1932.

S. N. COULTER CLASP FOR GARMENT SUPPORTS Fi led Aug. 20, 1930 gwmwtoa Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES SAMUEL N. COULTER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CLASP ron eeamunrsurron'rs 7 Application filed August 20, i930. Serial No. 476,503. 7 A

This invention relates to buckles or clasps intended to be used in connection with a garment supporter, and while the clasp may be used for different specific purposes, in the present specification it is illustrated as applied to the lower edge of a girdle, for supporting the upper end of a garter.

As usually constructed, a clasp of this type comprises two hinged jaws that are controlled or held in their gripping position by means of a lever or lever plate. This lever plate increases the thickness of the clasp and makes it bulky, and this detracts from its usefulness and attractive appearance.

The general object of this invention is to provide a clasp of simple construction that will overcome this objection.

A further object is to provide a clasp so constructed that the pull upon it holds the jaws in their gripping position, but which maybe readily released by a simple movement of the parts.

A further object of the invention is to produce a clasp of this kind that will present smooth, substantially flat and unobstructed faces; also to provide a clasp of simple construction that can readily be attached to the lower edge of a girdle without the use of stitching or any metal fastening parts carried to on the girdle.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists of novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efiective clasp for garment support.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the lower edge of a girdle broken away and illustrating a clasp embodying my invention attached to it and supporting a garter, the lower portion of which is broken away.

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the clasp and upper position of the garter.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the clasp showing the jaws in their gripping position.

This view is upon an enlarged scale and further illustrates details of its construction.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3but showingthe jaws in their released or'open position. -Accordingto my invention, I provide .two relatively movable "jaw plates preferably hinged together; a'link cooperates with these jaw plates so that the pull of the link forces the jaws of the plates together. By forcing the link up, thej aws become released. p

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents a main jawiplate having a'jaw Zat one endand having a hook 3 at its lower end forming. a rudimentary socket 4 to receive the rigid bar 5 of a horizontally elongated link 6 made of metal or other rigid material. 1

Opposed to the jaw plate '1 I provide a second jaw plate 7 having a jaw' 8 at one end with teeth 9 along its edge.

The jaw plates are relatively flat plates hinged together on a hinge pin 10 .thateX- tends through overlapping'integral ears 11 formed on the plates. The jaw-plate 7 has anextension 12 that projects into. the socket A, and in the closed,or gripping, position of the jaws, this extension is engagedby the bar 5 and forced outwardly toward the bill V 18 of the hook. This holds the jaws pressed tightly together.

Located just above the bar5, see-Fig.3, the extension 12 has a rounded shoulder 14 that projects out into the socket and operates as a yielding detent to retain the bar 5 in the socket. V

In order to release the jaws and cause them to open, it is merely necessary toflforce the link 6 upwardly; as soon as the bar 5 passes the rounded shoulder 14:, it passes up 'into the space'or throat l5 that'is con-. stantly open, between the plates and just below the hinge pin, thereby leaving the. socket. unobstructed, so that extension or tail 12 can swing over against the inner face of the plate 1.

A spring preferably in the form of a leaf spring 16 bent around the hinge pin 10 is provided for holding the jaws open.

The link 6 supports the strap or band 17 foe that carries a hose clasp (not illustrated) at its lower end.

In Fig. 1, I illustrate the clasp attached to the lower edge-.18 of a girdle. The upperedge 19 of the jaw 8 is preferably round ed as indicated in Fign l. This enables the teeth to apply themselves, to the cloth of the girdle out of line with each other and distributes the strain more than when the n teeth are all in the same horizontal line.

The plates should be composed of thin sheet metal having considerable resiliency.

The spring effect in the plate- 7 is due tothe 5 presence of the bend in the plate that forms a the shoulder 14. A similar opposite curve 20 is formed in this plate that also tends "to the-outenplate. f a v V :It is understood that the embodiment of the:invention-described hereinis only one of of August, 1930.

increaseits eifectgas a'spring and enables considerable pressure-to be developed 'be 1. I tween-the jaws without danger ofbreaking c.

the lmany embodiments this invention may take,. and I do not wish to be limited in the practiceg-of the invention, norin thevolaims,

to the particulariembodiment set forth.

VVhatlclaiin isz= rigid jaws,: one of saidjaws having axrigid Open socket,;a link having iagrigid barexert-f ingrits -pnll aga-instlthe bottom of said socket and capable of being passed freely in and out of .saidsocket, theother jaw havingran. ex-

, tension dying in. said socket 'andengaging said bar to hold the-jaws tog ether, and a spring nrgin g the jaws-toward their open position.

2.. A, V and 'a. jaw -at the other end, .a jaw plate hinged to the -first. named plate and 7 having altail projecting into thev hook, and a link in the hook 1 having a 7' locking position in I which it pressesagainst. the tail to hold the jaws of theplates' together,said tail havinga shoulder cooperating with the link as; a ;.yieldingidetenttoz retain the link in the hook.

'3.}A jaw plate having a hook-atone end andajaw attlie other end, a j aw plate hinged tolthe Lfirst named plate aand having a tail projecting into' the hook, and a-linkinrthe hook pressing, against the a tail to hold:- the jaws;- of the plates together,- said tail having ashoulder operating as a .yielding-detent to" I retain the link in the hook, and a spring bef tween the jaw plates for holding themapart when initheir released relation. v v

Signed at' Los Angeles, Cal;, this 15th day SAMUEL NsCQ ULTE-R."

1 air of relatively novable opposed I I jaw plate having a hook: at one e nd 

